As you may have suspected from last week’s article, the list of limiting phrases it would be good to avoid is long. Here are a few more I’ve encountered:
- “The other half” — when people identify another “half” that they’re excluded from they’ve found yet one more way to restrict their ability to receive. A small consolation I suppose is that they’re not alone. If the Berlin Wall can come down, so can any imagined dividing line between us and those who seem to have more we do at the moment. There is no “us” and “them”; we are one.
- “I can’t” — this pronouncement is usually code for “I won’t” or “I don’t want to.” I remember a situation when for years a certain administrator claimed he couldn’t possibly take Labor Day off due to some scheduling requirements his employer had in place. He got promoted and the very first year his replacement was in his former job she managed to take Labor Day off. The word “can’t” limits our options and possible outcomes, so be particularly discerning with its use.
- “My little guardian angel” – I like to visualize divine help for myself or others by calling forth our little guardian angels to watch over us. I caught my phrasing recently and decided to replace it with “my mighty guardian angel.” It makes sense when you think about it. What could be more powerful than Divine assistance?
I hope my lists have raised your awareness. After all, the most read book in the world begins with, “In the beginning was the word…”